P0871: owner reports and bulletins

Powertrain (generic, all makes). We haven't written the explanation for this code yet. Below is what owners and manufacturers have filed with NHTSA.

Got P0871 on your scanner? Tell the mechanic your year, make, model and any symptoms and you'll get the likely cause and what to check first. Ask about this code.

What owners report to NHTSA

8 complaints filed with NHTSA mention P0871, 6 of them since 2015, across 6 different models. The component owners most often filed it under: power train.

Manufacturer service bulletins that name P0871

9 technical service bulletins and manufacturer communications filed with NHTSA mention P0871, from 3 makes. A bulletin means the manufacturer has documented a known cause or a fix procedure for that model. Examples:

  • RAM 3500 (2024), bulletin 11009478: "Rear Selective Thrust Washer Failure Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): P0218-00 - Tr…
  • RAM 2500 (2024), bulletin 11010661: "Rear Selective Thrust Washer Failure Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may exhibit/set one or more of the following DTCs: P0218-00 - Transmission High Temperature O…
  • SUBARU OUTBACK (2022), bulletin 10202836: This bulletin announces additional diagnostic information concerning DTC #P0871. (Outback Wilderness)
  • CHEVROLET SPARK (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), bulletin 10154288: This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer technician if they find P0871 or P2714 is set in the TCM to clear the codes and retest. If the codes do not reset dealer is to release the vehicle to the customer. …

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database and manufacturer communications file, snapshots September 2026. A complaint or bulletin that mentions a code is a report about that vehicle, not a statement that the code has one cause.